do you guys ever get frustrated at yourself......

[JerseyShawn 0]

You keep stressing anxiety (which is normal). Ive had bad anxiety problems since a kid. Im super hyper most of the time, mind races from the second I wake up, then the panic attack. I can't sit still ever, even when I sleep I toss and turn, wake up screaming/yelling/punching (I sleep on the couch, my girl sleeps in the bed). I know how you feel with the anxiety, it can consume you. Exercise is key for a remedy.

Try exercising a bit before you jump (30 minutes after exercise your body releases endorphines which have a calming effect), and drink plenty of water. I found in my life when I exercise my
anxiety levels are way lower, and Im actually able to relax afterwards. Sometimes before I get to my DZ I go for a jog, it helps me not to get too worked up. Even in between jumps I find I have to calm myself sometimes and Ill do some push ups in the parking lot, expelling the energy.

Just an idea. Try a mini jog for 15 minutes and see how you feel a half hour later, Ill bet a bit relaxed. Too much energy fuels anxiety. So does caffeine and sugar, eliminate those the day of your jump.

That's my story and Im sticking with it.

[skybytch 259]

Skydiving is supposed to be fun! Overanalyzing your "mistakes" or "failures" isn't fun. Stressing out over it isn't fun.

What I'm going to suggest isn't easy and it probably won't be an instant fix; but it will work if you work at it.

When you start in with the "I have to do this, I have to do that" self-talk, just stop. Reframe it. Remind yourself that you and your body already know how to do whatever it is that you are supposed to do on the next jump. You have the dive flow down pat. Other than a good dirt dive and ONE mental run through in the plane, you don't NEED to think about it.

So every time you start to think about it, tell yourself "I got this" and think about something else - the pretty flowers, what you are going to have for dinner, how hot that guy looks without his shirt on, etc.. You may find yourself saying "I got this" 100 times before you get on the plane and 100 more times on the way to altitude. That's fine. The more times you do it, the more likely that your brain will believe and your body will cooperate.

Go have FUN!!! Smile as you spin. Laugh as you stop the spin - hard to believe now but you will ENJOY spinning in the future. Stick your tongue out at your instructor. Focus on what is fun while you are doing it - NOT on what you "have to do to pass."

Same with post-jump mental activity. Think about what was fun, not what you might be able to do better at. Relive that fun in your mind instead of the "failures".

If you couldn't tall, there are two words I really hate when it comes to teaching skydiving. One is pass. The other is fail. These two words have kept so many people who could have been awesome skydivers from even getting off student status, becasue they got frustrated and gave up. IMHO, both words should be tossed out and replaced with FUN!

[emmiwy 0]

Quote

Emmiwy, thanks for believing in me.
I think my anxiety stems from not wanting to fail and have to repeat the level. Usually, I get amped up thinking of all the stuff I have to do to pass the level (aka: "I have to do the 90 deg turns, make sure I don't spin, relax, counter the spin if I do, etc., etc"). Yes, that IS the thought process that goes on inside my head as I am prepping to jump. I know people can tell that I am tense, because they joke with me to try to get me to relax. Even my instructors joke with me to try to get me to relax. But I am soooo focused on the end goal, that I don't have fun and I mess up.

On the AFF 4 jump that I passed I actually, for once, WAS able to relax, via breathing with my mouth, that I was able to jump and STAY STABLE. That made me sooo happy that I stayed relax and was able to pull on time, and even gave me the impetus, to make the successful attempt to land on my own.

Since then, I haven't been able to repeat that calmness, BUT I have been able to land on own on and flare at the correct altitude, which is a great improvement from before, when I was sooo radio dependent.

One of the key things I'm reading in your post is focus on the end goal . As things may have it, a lot of us know what that feels like, to just want to graduate AFF, or get the job promotion, or get the guy to go out with me. But we forget what we need to ask of ourselves to be the person we want to be, to achieve those goals. You need to learn what it takes to relax, overcome anxiety for instance. Or someone trying to get the promotion needs to spend more hours at the office, flushing out a project idea. Its so easy to just expect what we want to fall right into our laps, instead of respect what it will take for us to get there.

The great thing you're doing is that you're recognizing what your obstacle is to overcome. If this is something you really want, then it will be worthwhile to appreciate every detail necessary for you to achieve your goal of finishing AFF. That means being good at ALL of it; success is founded on failure, otherwise you won't learn and be a badass at what you do. You may say you are "failing" at every opportunity you make a jump and do not advance to the next level of AFF. But I say, with every jump, you have one more opportunity to succeed, by improving your canopy flying skills and in-air awareness in both freefall and under canopy. You were able to land on your own, that's a big accomplishment! Canopy flying/landing is just as, if not more, important a skill that many new skydivers are less focused on compared to the freefall portion of a skydive. Think about how much better a canopy pilot you can be compared to someone who breezes through AFF thinking they know everything. You have had more chances than many to be a more skilled skydiver. Be a badass :)

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

when you see other AFF students who started the program after you, get their "A" license, and you are still struggling with AFF?

There were two other folks in my FJC who also went on to get their licenses. They beat me by a mile and (I think) both got their A with exactly 25 jumps. Took me 37 jumps over 6 months (over a Washington winter, so I dealt with a lot of weather days).

I'm the only one who is still jumping today. In fact, I think even just a year after we all started I was the only one who was still jumping.

Frustrated the heck out of me then, but at some point I realized that it wasn't about how quickly I got it, just that I got it (eventually). I've tried to keep that attitude as I've continued growing and learning in the sport. There's always, always, always going to be someone you can compare yourself with and come up lacking; all you can do is go at your pace so long as you can keep going.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[millertime24 8]

Skydiving is something we do. My wingsuiting buddy once put things in a light I never really thought of.

We were in the plane at about 7-8000' and he looked at me and said "Do you realize what we're about to do? We're about to jump out of a plane in flight, have great fun, then throw a handful of nylon out into a 120mph wind stream hoping it will save our lives. At what point did it become acceptable for this to be a Saturday leisure activity?"

The reason I bring this up is simple. Why do you want to jump out of a plane in flight expecting some bits of nylon and string to save your life? I think that if you can come to an answer that you'll be fine. Also, if you can be honest with yourself with this question it MAY be (after a bit of reflection) what you need to relax in the air.

Good luck to you. I believe that you WILL get it!.

Edit: Ill end with this... I recommend you read Brian Germain's book "Transcending Fear". It may help in whatever aspects of life you may find challenging.

Muff #5048

[guineapiggie101 0]

Emmiwy, I like your way of looking at this. Yes, I am getting better with my canopy skills, and now I can even land on my own with very minimal radio assistance (which even a few weeks ago was an impossibility). No jump is a wasted jump. It is an opportunity for me to hone my canopy and landing skills as well as, learn how to stay stable.

NWFlyer, I plan to keep on going. Just have to see what the next step is. I probably won't jump this weekend though. I want to take a breather for a weekend. Sometimes, one has to step back a bit, when one gets frustrated. I will probably go to the DZ and discuss with some instructors, what the next step should be, in dealing with my situation.

Millertime, thanks for believing in me. Sometimes when I get to the door, I wonder in my head, "why the HELL am I doing this", esp when I hear the noise of the wind and feel the coldness of it on my cheeks, and I see how far up we are. But, this is fun, and we do it for the fun of it. :)

[guineapiggie101 0]

Quote

Skydiving is supposed to be fun! Overanalyzing your "mistakes" or "failures" isn't fun. Stressing out over it isn't fun.

What I'm going to suggest isn't easy and it probably won't be an instant fix; but it will work if you work at it.

When you start in with the "I have to do this, I have to do that" self-talk, just stop. Reframe it. Remind yourself that you and your body already know how to do whatever it is that you are supposed to do on the next jump. You have the dive flow down pat. Other than a good dirt dive and ONE mental run through in the plane, you don't NEED to think about it.

So every time you start to think about it, tell yourself "I got this" and think about something else - the pretty flowers, what you are going to have for dinner, how hot that guy looks without his shirt on, etc.. You may find yourself saying "I got this" 100 times before you get on the plane and 100 more times on the way to altitude. That's fine. The more times you do it, the more likely that your brain will believe and your body will cooperate.

Go have FUN!!! Smile as you spin. Laugh as you stop the spin - hard to believe now but you will ENJOY spinning in the future. Stick your tongue out at your instructor. Focus on what is fun while you are doing it - NOT on what you "have to do to pass."

Same with post-jump mental activity. Think about what was fun, not what you might be able to do better at. Relive that fun in your mind instead of the "failures".

If you couldn't tall, there are two words I really hate when it comes to teaching skydiving. One is pass. The other is fail. These two words have kept so many people who could have been awesome skydivers from even getting off student status, becasue they got frustrated and gave up. IMHO, both words should be tossed out and replaced with FUN!

I just reread this, and THANK YOU!!!. This is spot on.

In a way, jumping has become a "chore" to me, and I lost the fun in it, hence probably why I am having so many "issues". The day I did the picture perfect AFF 4 dive, was the day I actually realized how much FUN it was to have a good jump and how enjoyable it can be. :) . I was sooo on Cloud 9 after that jump.

I will try to get the "fun" back in this sport. I know I really want to be able to do this, because, even as I struggle, just watching people jump and hearing them talk about their jumps, makes me soo want to be able to share in it with them (despite my struggles).

Part of my problem is that I am VERY hard on myself when I don't do well on my jumps. I think I am my own worst critic when it comes to that.

Reframing is a good way to approach this.

Thanks again for the ideas. I will give them a try.

[JohnMitchell 14]

Just remember, analysis is half anal.

[thrillstalker 0]

Quote

Just remember, analysis is half anal.

haha

"Never grow a wishbone, where your backbone ought to be."